Don't Fall
by NoraArchontis
Summary: Damian suddenly decided to leave, or perhaps return the mantel of Robin to its previous owner, Tim Drake, without any explanation or discussion with his family. No one knew why. Only Damian knew why, and it was probably for the best.
1. Chapter 1: Not a Robin Anymore

Chapter 1: Not a Robin Anymore

It was half past four in the morning when a door was suddenly opened from one of the bedrooms inside the Wayne manor. The door noise was not loud; in fact, it was very silent as the person who opened the door slowly went out from the room with its robe hanging on his body and worries painted his whole face. He closed the door quietly and walked to the third door near the end of the hallway; he reached for the door handle to open and reveal what the inside room had to offer for him. As he remembered clearly this was his son's room, his biological son - _Damian Wayne_.

He opened the room slowly and was greeted by the darkness that filled the room completely without any lights shining for him to see his way inside the room. His eyes lingered on the boy - a teenage boy - who was sleeping soundly on the bed near the fireplace with his big and dark dog lying on the floor, sleeping as well. His blue eyes slowly relaxed as he approached the bed slowly after he closed the door behind him with a little noise that woke the dog from his slumber.

"Shhh…"

He quieted the big dog before he could bark and wake the whole family up. He caressed the dog's head as he slowly returned to his sleeping position as he figured out who the big man was. Titus figured that he, Bruce Wayne, was not an enemy that he needed to fight to protect his sleeping owner from.

Bruce gave a quick smile to the dog as he returned his attention toward his son who was sleeping without any movements on the small bed, a twin sized or maybe smaller. He had told his son, once, that he wanted to get him a bigger bed than his current bed, but his proposal was rejected straight away by him as he told his father that he liked his current bed and had no problem with it at all. But, deep inside, Bruce knew that his son didn't want to give him any more troubles even to a small thing like new beddings. Well, Bruce was still going to get one for his son for sure since he was the only one who had the smallest bedding in the manor and overall, it's because he cared about him.

Bruce Wayne cared about his son.

He cared about Damian Wayne.

However, it was hard for him to understand the reason behind his son's sudden decision of returning - of giving up - the Robin's mantel back to its previous owner, Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake. Even Tim was also confused by the sudden decision and was left with no other choice but to accept the mantel back and had to pass the Red Robin to someone else for a while. But, it was something Bruce couldn't see or imagine Damian doing, but he did. He had done it and they were no longer the "Dynamic Duo"; they were just father and son.

Former Robin.

Ex-Robin without Batman on his side.

Damian Wayne, the teenage kid who was so proud of his own name, was no longer a Robin. No longer Batman's sidekick. But he was still Bruce's son and as his father, he demanded an answer from the former Robin, the thick headed and stubborn ex-Robin - his son.

The big man sighed as he watched his son slept on the small bed which was probably too small for him to sleep since he saw his son grew up to be more like Talia Al Ghul than him. Talia had a slim yet strong body and Damian really just looked like her more than like him. Yes, he was his biological son with Talia, whom he had never wanted to come in contact anymore since both of them were the opposite from the other, totally different. And, so was his son. He was different when he first came to him and revealed himself to be Bruce's son. Damian was trained to kill people; he was trained by the best to do so, the League of Assassins and his mother, since he was still a kid, or maybe a little baby.

Bruce shook his head remembering all the troubles Damian gave to him and his family during his first stay in there. All the fights, arguments, and many more that a normal family would never had but always happened to them. They had gone there and it was not pretty, not at all. But, he could see that his son was slowly growing, maturing in time as many things happened between the two of them, between all the family. Loss, pain, sadness, anger...everything was there, and Damian had grown up since then.

He was never the same anymore...not until he suddenly gave up his mantle back to Tim without any explanations, or discussions with his own father, or the whole family. Damian was capable of choosing his own decisions without any explanations that almost drove Bruce crazy, looking for the mistakes he had done to drive the former Robin to such an extent. But, he could find none. None of them at all.

There was nothing he could find within himself that could drive his own _son_ to give up the role voluntarily.

Yet, maybe Damian found it. And, it became a reason for his withdrawal.

Bruce sighed as he sat near Damian's bed with a small wooden stool that he knew Damian still used to reach for anything he needed on high drawers and sometimes to pick up books that he liked to read. He touched Damian's hand and wrapped it on his big, rough hand; it was weird to actually notice little things like this but Bruce enjoyed them with a hint of sadness that lingered on his face - on his touch.

Damian's hands were smaller than his and...cold. Yes, Damian's hands were too cold for such a warm morning even Bruce was not feeling that cold, but his son's hands felt like ice. _Does he have a cold?_ was the first thing Bruce asked himself as he covered his palm on Dami's forehead, trying to feel the coldness and determined if his son was sick or not.

The big man stood up from the wooden stool as he walked toward the closed closet to find something he could use to warm Damian's ice cold hands. Bruce turned the lights on as he entered the closet and immediately opened the first drawer to see the inside; then when he couldn't find anything he was looking for, he opened another one to another one until he found a winter gloves that could warm the smaller hands.

Yet, before he could find the gloves, he found some bottles of vitamin D that remained untouched inside one of the drawers. No, Bruce didn't know that Damian was taking vitamins for his daily need since he was pretty sure that Alfred, their family butler, had done a great job of maintaining their nutrition despite their intense workout and night job they had.

He didn't touch the bottles; he just closed the drawer and opened another one, taking a pair of winter gloves before leaving the closet and turning the lights off. He returned to Damian's side, sliding the gloves onto his cold hands and tucking the blanket more. He realized that Damian's blanket was not a normal blanket for summer but a heavy one for winter. It was as if his son really needed a thick blanket to shield him from the coldness of summer night which was abnormal - uncommon for him to see this.

It was almost five in the morning, the time where Damian would normally wake up from his sleep and Bruce normally would still be sleeping. He exited the room slowly, no sound or disturbance that could cause his son to wake up from his sleep. Bruce knew very well that Damian was trained to use all his senses and had the best ability when it came to hearing, but today was not like it. He didn't seemed to be aware that his father had entered his room with a small cracking noise of the door, the quiet jingles from his dog's tag, and another small cracking noise from his closet. None of them were registered into Damian's hearing ability or perhaps, he was just unconscious from his deep sleep.

Another sigh escaped from Bruce's lips as he opened the door and looked at his sleeping son. "Why did you stop being Robin, son?" He asked, left the room silently, and closed the door quietly.

* * *

Damian woke up at six thirty, an hour and half past his normal wake up time, but he knew that he felt better after resting up the whole night without any night activities to disturb him. His muscles felt more well-rested than usual, and he surely would not slur his words or anything like that in front of his family. All he wanted was to look like his normal everyday life in front of his family, so they would not worry about him or much worse, interrogate him for his slightly weird behavior.

He slipped off from his thick blanket and revealed the gloved hands that he had underneath it. He took it off, knowing that Alfred Pennyworth was probably the one who slipped it onto his hands during his sleep as he knew how the old man really took care of everyone in the family even those who were no longer living within the manor.

He smiled, a small and gentle smile, toward the big dog that was already up and ready to face his day with his owner. Titus came near him, placing his head on Damian's lap as he caressed the dog's head with his hand.

"Good morning, Titus," he greeted the dog with a smile.

Titus pulled off from Damian's lap as he ran to the door, telling his owner that someone was coming. He stood up from his bed, carefully getting a glass of water that was placed on his study table before drinking it, finishing the half of the glass in a short period of time. He heard someone knocking as Titus barked at the person behind the door as they slowly opened it revealing Alfred in front of the door with something on his hand.

"Good morning, Pennyworth."

Alfred looked at him, greeted him back as he entered the room and placed the closed jar he had on his hand on the young master's desk. Damian opened the jar that was not tightly closed to see the inside before he could place it somewhere else. He looked at the butler who was still standing beside him without a voice to disturb his train of mind.

"Thank you. I appreciate it a lot," Damian answered him and closed the jar lightly before placing it near his laptop.

"You're welcome, sir," he replied. "Breakfast will be ready in thirty minutes. Would you like me to bring it here?"

Damian looked at the butler as he readjusted some stuffs on his young master's desk to keep it clean.

"I'll be there. Thank you," Damian answered as he saw Alfred's nodded his head and left the room with Titus following right beside him as he knew Alfred would be serving his breakfast.

He was left alone in his room to prepare to face the world in his best. His eyes lingered on the black tall jar that was decorated with a white tie on it. Damian opened it again, just taking the top lid off to reveal the colorful straws with white strips that Alfred had given to him. Alfred knew that Damian was going to need it someday and soon, especially when drinking liquid ever since he had the problem with swallowing anything, these straws were going to help him, maybe.

He closed the lid and placed it on the desk. He could enter his private bathroom to get ready to face the day and also to change from his pajamas to casual clothing. There was nothing really special happening since it was just Damian getting ready and cleaning himself. As soon as he stepped into his closet, he returned the winter gloves to where it was supposed to be and dressed according to his day.

* * *

It literally took Damian twenty minutes to get ready, and before he stepped out from his room, he opened another new vitamin D bottle and took a capsule out for him to take it after meals. He stored the capsule on a small plastic bag, so he could carry it around in his pocket instead of clenched it on his hand for later use.

Damian was immediately greeted by another member of his family after he exited his room; he was greeted by the current Robin, Tim Drake. He just went out from his room when Damian did the same but there were only silence and awkwardness that filled the room as both of them walked to downstairs. Damian walked slower than Tim, and Tim realized this as they were a few feet apart with Tim leading in the front. Damian didn't say anything about it as he just focus on not using too much power and energy because he didn't want to waste a lot of energy in such an early morning.

Tim stopped his steps when he already reached the stairs, looking back at Damian, waiting for him to get down the stairs together, which was something unusual to happen in this family.

"Dami, you are getting really slow," Tim complained as he kept waiting for the other teen to reach where he was standing now. "We're gonna be late for breakfast if you keep walking like a turtle, demon spawn."

"Drake the Piggy Belly can just go on his journey to find food alone," Damian wore his usual grin as he slowly walked closer to where Tim stood.

What would Damian be without an insult here and there? But he knew that Tim wasn't having any of it at all from his face. Well, Tim was never having any of Damian's insult and sassiness but it was different this time. He could tell from the look of Tim's face that he still thought it was wrong for him to return back to be the Robin. It was weird for him to return to Robin when he was already the Red Robin, a man of his own.

Damian shook the thought as he knew he could not tell them the reason of his decision yet. Not until he knew what was really happening with himself. He could just keep a straight face, a face that he always used to, though it should really be restricted. But, Damian knew that he should be careful with all the former Robins, especially Tim Drake and Dick Grayson, since they were all trained by the world's greatest detective, Batman or should he say, his Father, Bruce Wayne.

Tim was studying Damian's face and movements to determine things, something, or anything. He knew that Tim was probably going to be the first who figured out the reason for the sudden decision since he was the equal of the greatest detective.

"Go for your own breakfast, Drake. There's no such a need to wait for anyone," he said.

He looked away from Damian, who was still walking really slow and taking light footsteps to get to where he needed to be. Damian saw him walking down the stairs and slowly disappearing from his sight and by the moment he reached where the other Robin was standing, Tim was no longer walking down the stairs. He was already in the dining table with the others.

* * *

It took him fully ten minutes and more to get down the stairs to be with the others for breakfast. His father and Tim were already sitting on the chair on the dining table with their breakfast served while Alfred had just placed Damian's portion on the table. He was not surprised for having a full house all of a sudden in the morning. He saw Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, who was surprisingly here, on the table enjoying their breakfast. By breakfast, he meant full sugary cereal bowl for his former teacher and companion while the other, he couldn't really see what he was having.

Damian's breakfast included a scramble egg that was fully chopped to small pieces for him to easily digest along with the sausages too. A small glass of milk was also a must have for him since he wanted to grow tall, possibly as tall as his father though he knew that he inherited his mother's genes more than his father.

"Good morning, Grayson. Todd," he greeted. "Morning, Father."

His father stared at him, taking his attention away from the newspaper he had on his hand. They said nothing as they kept staring at each other in suspicion and confusion, especially when his father didn't greet him back like usual. Damian ignored him as he sat on his seat; his father's eyes were still on him, tracking every movement just like a detective tracking every possible movement of his target.

Bruce greeted him after their butler cleared his throat, asking Damian if he would like his breakfast to be heated again to which Damian replied with a no. He didn't say anything to his father or even to the others as they just ate their breakfast in silent as Alfred disappear from the background, probably having his own breakfast.

He knew everyone was still surprised by his sudden decision but it was for the best. Batman needed a Robin like Tim Drake or Dick Grayson, or maybe like Jason Todd. Not like him. He knew that from a very long time, but now was the best time to let the mantel go.

"Dami, you're going with me for lunch," his former mentor said or commanded.

Damian turned his head to see Dick but all he could see was a bowl of cereal covering his face. Dick did like his cereal so much, but he didn't know that he would have done such a commotion especially in front of Bruce. He couldn't really say no to anything his former mentor asked him to since he knew the power of force was something Dick Grayson could do.

"You paying."

Dick nodded his head in agreement as almost all of them part their ways after they finished their breakfast, leaving Damian alone in the table with dirty dishes still on the table with Alfred accompanying him. He ate in silent, bite-after-bite while the butler collected everything from the table except his young master's plate.

"Do you have any plans for today, master Damian?" He asked, finished collecting all the dirty plates and placing it on the trolley.

"Nothing really," he said. "I only have doctor's appointment at ten and lunch with Grayson."

Alfred nodded his head, noting everything his young master had told him.

"Shall I drive to the hospital?"

Damian looked at him; staring at him for a while to think about his answers before telling anything. Alfred already knew the answer to his question. He knew that Damian was not allowed to drive anymore, and he never tried to go against it anyway because it was his rule. The rule he made for himself to obey.

"Yes, please do," he finally answered. "Thank you, Pennyworth."

Alfred could only look at his young master with a smile on his face. There was nothing he could do to answer his young master at all but a small bow and a smile.

"You are very welcome, sir."

Alfred left the room. Leaving Damian with his bowl of small square mixed fruits that Alfred had prepared especially for him.


	2. Chapter 2: Ticking Time

Chapter 2: Ticking Time

He would never have thought that Damian would eventually return the mantle of Robin back to its previous owner, back to Timmy. Jason never really expected Damian to do such a thing since he was the one who fought his way through for the Robin's mantel. The thought of him returning it was crazy by nature itself since Damian tried and almost killed him and Tim just for that. Yet, when he heard the news; Jason was filled with nothing but strangeness - confusion - weirdness.

Yes, Damian Wayne was _weird_. He was weird from the very first time they met him. Then, again, everyone was weird in their own ways and he couldn't be excluded from it too. Being brought from life to death then back to life again had totally changed his perspective on everything. Jason was weird, or maybe more toward mad.

Jason turned his head, facing toward the Pennyworth's garden with a cigarette between his fingers and smoke decorating his surroundings. He didn't want to think about anything. Nothing, there was nothing to think about for Damian's decision. Jason found no reason for his withdrawal, both physically and mentally.

Damian was _fine_ in his eyes; there was nothing wrong with him beside his attitude was a little less annoying now, for some reason. His smirks, grin, annoying voice were still the same. But, Jason realized that Damian was much slower than he usually was. Damian never walked that slow before, not if there was some sort of victory that he won against anyone, but still... Damian was fast. He was faster and sneakier than anyone else in the family because of his physical attributes and trained body. Yet, all of that suddenly dropped when he quit Robin and stopped being sneaky to everyone, especially to him and Timmy.

Jason could recite the whole scenario of how Damian secretly attacked him in his own safe house where no one was supposed to know it. He still remembered it clearly when Damian suddenly shown up inside his safe house by the moment he greeted all his safe house beddings. Yes, Damian was weird but Jason was probably weird too, if anyone really seen what Damian had seen on that day. He greeted his pillow, bed, the house; he would probably greeted his whole stuffs inside his house if Damian did not, all of a sudden, gave him a surprise visit and stole his helmet.

Ah, Jason sighed at the thought of his encounter with the little assassin. He never thought that little demon would ever give up on the thought of being a Robin. After all the fight he went through with him, all the Robins went through with him; Damian just returned the mantel without any explanations.

No nothing.

No reasons.

Another smoke was blown by him, decorating his surrounding again as he thought very deeply about everything that happened, or _suddenly_ happened.

"I suggest you quit smoking, Master Jason," an old and familiar voice greeted Jason from his side. "It is not a good habit and hobby to be further explored."

He inhaled further and blew out the remaining of what was left inside of his lungs. _Old man_ , he thought. Alfred just stood there, looking at the direction of his garden, perhaps admiring his work.

"So, you know anything about the little demon?" He asked. Eyes not moving to see the other.

Alfred did not answer right away; instead he waited a little longer to answer the curious man to see his reaction. The butler knew all the Robins, especially the first two since they were the first to be adopted to the Wayne family, and he knew their personalities very well including the smallest details possible. But for Jason, the aged man also knew his rage towards the father and that time's current Robin after he came back from death to life. Impulsive, impatient, harsh, and many more... Alfred could name it all but he could never hate the boy; in fact, he actually loved him.

Alfred knew Jason _well enough_ though Jason may not know it.

"Speak up, Alfred. Anything about the demon spawn?" Another question asked.

Alfred smiled a smile that could be identified as _'I know something but I can't tell you'._ There was such a smile. But he promised, and he had always kept his promise, to his young master that he would not tell anything until it was clear to the young boy - perhaps teenager - as what really happened to his own body.

"No, Master Jason," Alfred spoke. "I know nothing of our young master's sudden decision."

 _Liar_ , Jason thought. He knew Alfred was lying because he had promised Damian not to tell anyone. He knew; he knew it because he had done the same to Alfred as well. Jason had told him something and Alfred had always kept his mouth shut unless Bruce told him to speak up; sometimes even Bruce himself couldn't get Alfred to talk too.

Jason knew the butler knew something, anything, about Damian. The closest person Damian could ever tell anything about himself was Alfred, Titus the dog, and the other Alfred, the cat. Those were the ones the little brat could open himself up to; sometimes he also opened up to his previous mentor, but it didn't seem to be in that way since Dick had no idea what had happened to his _precious_ little brother until this happened.

"Do you think Damian is happy for Tim to be Robin again?"

A sudden question went out from Jason's mouth as he inhaled the smoke for a few moments before letting it go in the air again. Alfred was still there with him, doing absolutely nothing but looking at the garden and enjoying the presence of the second Robin. It was a hot day but he still wore his best as if it was nothing at all even Jason looked at him with a weird gaze because of that.

"I think Master Damian is happy with Master Tim, Master Richard or even you, Master Jason, for being Robin," Alfred paused as if to appear dramatic, but it was surprising even for the former Robin and _rebeller_ too. "Master Damian never thought of himself as highly as you might think he does."

He couldn't reply him. Jason just stood there with his almost-done-cigarette burning away; his gaze didn't meet the older man as he just stood there in the shade, leaning on the wall while standing still. Alfred might try to ask him to join his little tea party anytime soon but for now, the silence was perfect. It was perfect for him to think, perhaps rethink, of everything the youngest member of the Wayne family's action and harsh words he had given to him. Maybe those words actually meant nothing but words to cover the vulnerability of their little brother and with this decision, maybe Damian was ready tell them everything.

 _Tch_ , a quick smirk appeared on his face. _Like hell that little demon would tell us what's wrong with him_ , Jason believed that. Believed that Damian would never tell anyone about his situations, hardships, or even small problems of his. He was always a person who handled his problems in his own way even though he knew others would have helped him willingly.

Yes, _willingly_...even himself.

Yeah, even _Jason_ too...

* * *

It was eleven o'clock when Dick Grayson, the eldest of the brothers, came back home to pick Damian up. He knew their appointment was not until twelve o'clock, but since he had finished his work earlier than usual and thought about how Damian would probably appreciate his extra time and would just spend it together with him. Maybe going to a park nearby after eating lunch, or maybe, just maybe, Damian would talk to him about what really happened about his decision. But, it was just a maybe.

Dick knew how Damian was when he returned the uniform to Tim. Damian's face was conflicted but his voice was so calm and content as if he really just gave up on it and that was it. That was it. Damian didn't look at Tim in the eyes at all; his head was straight up facing Tim but his eyes were not. Dick could feel that Damian still wanted to be a Robin but something had happened, and he had no other choice but to take that action.

He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his head from everything that had happened. He went down to the basement, or what they all called it as Bat Cave, to retrieve some information about a certain criminal that had been running around Blüdhaven and Gotham for the past few months. Dick didn't plan to take too long down in the cave as he wanted to meet Damian as soon as possible and take him out for lunch as well as other things else. But, Dick didn't see Alfred coming into the cave as well with both hands full of boxes as well as a cart full of boxes of bandages and other supplies. Dick smiled to the old man's back as he knew Alfred was unaware of his presence.

"Would you mind to help me, Master Dick?" The butler had spoken, and maybe Dick had spoken too soon about not being noticed by him. "Have my hands full at a moment. I would appreciate some help, if you like to."

Another smile formed on Dick's face as he walks toward Alfred to help him.

"I was just thinking of getting some information from the bat-computer, not helping you with restocking, Alfred." Dick teased the butler with his smile.

"Well then, I will tell Master Damian that Master Dick has suddenly changed the plan and decided not to take him for lunch," Alfred replied.

Dick looked at him in shock.

"Young Master has faith in my words as I am a man of my words, Master Dick." Alfred smiled while turning his back toward Dick to see his master's appearance.

Dick looked at him for a moment before finally smiling again. Alfred should have known that Dick would, for sure, help him with anything since the old butler was like his own grandfather. There was no such need for Alfred to even ask him for help as he would willingly help him right away.

Dick took the boxes from Alfred's hands and placed it on his own as the butler put some more to Dick's stack of boxes. Alfred pushed the cart towards the elevator with Dick inside it also. It didn't take a long time for the elevator to reach where it should be. They went out from the elevator with nothing accompanying them but silence, silence that was probably too loud for Dick to keep on having.

"So, how's Damian doing?" Dick asked. "Is he home?"

He put down the stack of boxes on the ground slowly with the help of Alfred as he waited for Alfred to answer his question about his little brother.

"Master Damian is doing well, Sir. However, I believe he will not be home until noon," Alfred explained Damian's lack of presence in the manor to Dick. "Young Master should be home just right before his appointment with you, Master Richard."

There was no fear in Alfred's words but Dick could feel something hidden inside the words. Something in the words that were well hidden inside it; something about his little brother.

"So, do you know where he is now?" Dick asked while opening the boxes and giving the content of the boxes to Alfred one by one.

Alfred received the bandages given to him by Dick with his hands as well as the question that was asked by Dick. And no… There was no way for Alfred to honestly tell him that Damian had gone to Gotham City Hospital to check up on his condition. No, he was sure of it that his Young Master did not even go to doctor Leslie Thompkins' clinic for his check up because he was afraid she would tell the whole bat-family about what really happened to him.

Damian never wanted everyone else to think of him as weak or in need of protection from anything. It was a total no and never for Damian, but he did know that sooner or later, his whole family would know about it and would have to protect him from all the harm from all the enemies of their family.

Alfred sighed quietly as Dick's question still lingered in the air; haunting the butler for answer to the seemingly _simple_ question.

"He is in Gotham City Hospital, Sir," Alfred quietly replied. "Seeing a friend of his who has gotten a surgery lately."

Of course Alfred would lie for Damian. Everyone always believed in the old man's word for he had always been telling the truth. So did Dick Grayson too. He trusted him with all his heart and genuinely care for the aged butler.

"I see," Dick replied. "I'll go pick him up there. Tell Damian that his eldest brother is coming for him in no time." Dick said with a smile on his face.

Alfred nodded his head as he sent Dick away to the bat-computer to get the data he needed. He looked at Dick's back turning from him as he walked toward the big screen computers inside the cave, and Alfred could only look at Dick's back silently while finishing off the current box before calling Damian to inform him about Dick's decision.

* * *

It took Damian sometimes to actually accept the fact that his older brother was going to come for him in the hospital. He had no idea what Alfred might have said to Dick about him being in the hospital or whatever else but he had to face it because he knew Dick was already here, just waiting for him to come out from whatever excuses Alfred had told him.

The clock was still ticking loudly, but it was not as loud as how it was before since Damian was already over with all the examinations and tests he had to go through inside this hospital building. He was sweating and his muscles began to wear him out, and all he wanted to do was sleeping on his bed. But sleeping itself might be hard and dangerous for him as the doctor had already warned him about possibility of sudden death during sleeping. So, all Damian had to do was keeping himself wide awake and rest as much as he could without falling asleep.

No sleeping until he didn't feel as tired as he was right now.

As Damian was about to sit down on the hallway to rest up for a moment, his phone vibrated multiple times with all the sudden text messages, emails, and a _lot_ of missed calls from Dick Grayson especially. By the time he wanted to swipe one of the text to reply it, his phone vibrated again saying _"Dick Grayson"_ in the middle and as big as it could be.

He picked it up and without saying anything Dick already went ahead of himself.

"I'm in front of the hospital. Where are you, Dami?" Dick asked while holding his helmet and placing it on his thigh.

"Coming out now," Damian replied simple and clear.

"Okay. See you soon, lil' bro!" With that Damian ended the call as he inhaled the oxygen deeply to calm himself down.

 _You can do this. Just go out there and pretend like nothing happened. Don't speak until Grayson asks anything about it._ Damian had to reassure himself that everything would be alright. That nothing would be noticeable at all. He would be fine. Totally fine and there would be no problem at all.

Damian sat down for a few minutes to rest in the hallway. Many people pass by and some noticed that he was, in fact, Damian Wayne. He knew he had to leave right away but his body just wouldn't obey him. He needed to move so badly, walked away from the crowd and escaped with Dick who promised him lunch. _Yes,_ Damian told himself again. _I need to do it now,_ he reminded himself as he began moving forward again toward the exit of the long white hallway.

No one suspected anything from Damian's behavior as he tried really hard to act like everything was alright and there was nothing to worry about him. But the moment Dick saw his precious little brother coming out from the hospital's main entrance with a different shirt and another baggage on his hand, his suspicions grew a little of what really Damian was doing in the hospital. He didn't say anything about the extra bag Damian brought with him as he just parked his motorcycle and opened the trunk for the teenager to put his bag in.

"So, are you hungry?" Dick asked, masking his suspicion with that happy voice. "What do you want to eat?"

Damian didn't look at Dick right away as he wanted to place the extra _unusual_ baggage inside the trunk first before talking to his older brother. Dick didn't say anything further than his questions that didn't get answered. He just quietly looked at Damian who was putting his extra bag on his trunk and secured it with a lock. After he finished watching his little brother doing whatever he was doing, he asked the same questions again as if to annoy him.

"So, Dami... Anything to eat?" Another question launched at Damian to answer.

Dick wore his helmet back as he waited for the reply he deserved from the ex-Robin. Nothing really came out from Damian's mouth but when Dick sat back on his bike and was about start the engine, Damian finally replied him with something that was slightly confusing.

" _Iamfinewithanything,_ " was what Damian replied him with, and the words was either too fast for him to catch on, or slurred together as if his little brother was drunk with something.

"What did you say again, Dami?" Dick asked just for a confirmation.

Damian climbed the motorbike and clutched on Dick's jacket as if his life depended on it. But Damian never said a word to reply Dick's questions. Damian just simply didn't want Dick to hear him slurring over his words anymore and had any suspicions over what really happened to him. It was a total no and _no_ for him.

Dick waited for a few minutes to allow Damian repeat whatever he was saying before. He was sure that Damian was not drunk or at least, there was no sign of him being drugged to slur his words. Or maybe, he was just talking as fast as he could to just get out from the hospital... Dick wasn't sure which one it was but there should be a reason for him to talk that way, especially since it was not his personality to talk that way.

"Okay," Dick finally said something after a few minutes of silence. "Since you're not suggesting anything for our lunch, I guess you are fine with whatever I choose then. Let's go to my favorite place then, Sepi's."

Damian could only nod his head against Dick's back in agreement to the choice of restaurant. No words came out from Damian's mouth afterward as they just pulled off from the hospital with eldest Robin's directing the way.

* * *

"So, what do you want to eat?" Dick asked the same old question again and again. "They have the best grilled chicken and barbecue chicken. Their Caesar salad and Chinese chicken salad are also good."

Dick was looking at Damian's silence, trying to see and understand what the younger man was thinking at the moment since he had been staring at the menu for a while without saying anything or responding to his suggestion.

"Damian?" He called as his right hand was slowly gripping the younger man's to snap him out of his imagination. "Are you alright? Why are you not saying anything?"

"I'm alright, Grayson. Don't worry about me."

"No, Damian. You are _not_ alright," Dick's voice was getting serious as he stared at Damian's eyes. "You suddenly become so quiet about everything. This is not like you, Dami."

"Then, what _is_ like me?"

Dick was surprised by the question his little brother suddenly asked him. To him, Damian was supposed to still be selfish, pouty like he used to when he was a kid and Robin... He was supposed to be Robin. Damian fought for that role and tried his best to be the ideal, the good Robin that his Father wanted him to be. That _he_ , Damian himself, wanted to be. They were great together, even during Dick's time as Batman and Damian as his Robin.

They _were_ awesome, and Dick knew that they would always be.

 _You were supposed to be Robin_ was the only thing Dick could say to himself as the answer of the question.

"Damian, why do you suddenly quit? It's not like you to suddenly quit whatever you've been doing for so long."

Dick was in pain. Damian knew it; he realized it from the very beginning of the talk. But, Dick was also in denial about everything - about his current reality. The reality where Damian was no longer a Robin, and he didn't even want to be Robin anymore. Damian was no longer suitable for Batman to be his sidekick, helpers, even partner.

"Grayson, please. Can we just have a normal lunch like normal people do?" The younger man asked - _pleaded_ him for them to be just like a normal people. "Just this once, Grayson."

Dick closed his eyes in frustration of not knowing anything, everything that Damian hid from him. His hands were covering his eyes, closing his eyes from seeing Damian's tired face, and his begging face. He didn't want to see Damian's face like that as he could still remember how happy and energetic his little brother like it was yesterday.

Damian sighed as he looked at Dick's action right in front of him. He had no idea what to say to him about anything since he was trying to get everything straight himself before telling anyone what really happened. All he needed was _time_. Yet, time itself was the enemy of him too. No one in the family was patient, except for Alfred, especially his Father, the oldest brother, and the _current_ Robin. Jason was not necessarily patient but he knew how to wait while the others really demanded answer for anything they wanted to know or else, research.

"Damian..." Dick called but was quickly cut off by Damian.

"Can we go home now?" He asked. "I feel like eating at home more than outside."

Dick could only look at the person in front of him as he slowly placed the menu down on the table and sliding it to the other side of the table, losing interest in it.

"Sure," he replied as he saw him moving slowly away from the sofa, escaping it. "Sure, let's eat at home."

Damian walked away from the table, leaving Dick alone with his heart full of regrets and pain before calling the manor to inform Alfred that they were going home for lunch. He called the waitress and gave enough money for the drinks they had as well as for the tip, and he followed Damian from far back, walking slowly with his black leather jacket on his hand.

He threw the black jacket to Damian and landed right on the teen's head, covering his whole face with the darkness of jacket. Damian took the jacket off his face and wore it as he knew his older brother never wanted him to get sick or such. But, as he slipped the jacket on to his right arm, a sudden guilt slowly came to greet him. A guilt for hiding everything toward his family, especially to Dick since he cared a lot about his well-being and Damian himself.

Dick was already on the motorcycle, engine had already been turned on, and just waiting for Damian to hop on, so they could go to their destination. He turned toward Damian as the teen was still struggling with the jacket.

"Hey, maybe we could-" Dick's words were cut off again by Damian as he was now looking at him with such a sad face that even Dick could not name the emotion itself.

"I'm sorry, Grayson." Words came out from Damian's mouth while Dick just sat there, waiting for the next sentence to come out. "I truly apologize but please, give me time until I can tell everything to you."

Damian finally looked up to him; his eyes filled with glass that was ready to be broken down to tears. No, Dick had never seen him this way before. Although he had seen him crying a number of times in rare occasion, this was his first time not knowing the reason behind his tears yet he could feel how gentle and honest those words were.

Dick turned off the engine, took the key out, and placed his helmet on the seat as he got up to be where Damian was standing still. There was nothing he could do besides hugging Damian and patting his back while gently stroking the soft dark hair.

They stayed that way for a few minutes before Dick looked properly at Damian with a smile on his face. He wiped the falling tears off Damian's face and pressed his lips on the forehead, giving a protecting and reassuring kiss to teen.

"Let's get ice cream sandwich before going back home, okay?" Dick planned on cheering him up before going for their "real" lunch at home. "I know one place that you'll like." He finished off with a smile and another kiss on Damian's forehead before pulling off to turn on the engine back to get ready.

Dick handed the other helmet to Damian, waiting for him to receive it from his hand.

"Let's go, Dames," another nickname Dick had for him. "And zipped up the jacket, will ya? It'll be cold in no time even though it's still summer."

Damian properly zipped up the jacket after he got the helmet on his hand and wore it.

"Don't treat me like a kid, Grayson," was the last sentence Damian told him after hopping on to the bike, and both of them were gone from the parking lot.


	3. Chapter 3: Quiet

Chapter 3: Quiet

It was strange for him to already be back in the manor at this time - the lunch time. Tim never came back on lunch time from the office with all his work done for the day. It was just something that he couldn't see himself doing it because there were always something that he needed to do every single time. Coming back home with nothing to work on was something weird - _strange_ \- since he knew how much of a workaholic he was.

Tim was pretty sure he had gotten the workaholic ethic from Bruce, though he knew it was inside of him since he was a kid. But he liked it as it helped him to focus on something else that was not _Damian_ -related. Everything but Damian. He wanted to block the image of Damian inside his mind: he wanted to block the way Damian looked at him when he returned the mantel with his conflicted emotion, the way the little bat spoke to him with a calm face about his decision of returning the mantle without reasons.

 _Everything._

He wanted to block everything about Damian from entering into his mind, from messing up with his thought processing. He wanted to believe that everything had never happened - that everything was fine just like the way it used to be. Tim wanted nothing more than to believe that Damian was still the Robin, the little sidekick who would always be there for Batman. He wanted to believe that so badly, but he had to accept the reality. And, the fact that Damian was no longer in the _"cleaning-crime-industry"_ was something Tim had always wanted because for _god's-damn-sake,_ he was too young.

Damian was too _damn_ young for this, for all of _this_ madness _._ He was not supposed to be there at all. Damian was supposed to be just like any other kid. He was _supposed_ to play around with other normal kids, watching cartoons, selfishly wanting to eat all the sweets possible. But, here he was now, a nineteen years old teenager, almost an adult who had been fighting crime for all his life until that moment where everything stopped, when everything Tim had wanted for Damian was granted.

Damian was no longer a Robin. He was finally a normal kid who could play with those of the same age. And, Tim could finally protect him like an older brother should. He could finally do it like many times before all these happened.

He was supposed to be happy. Tim was supposed to be _happy_ with his younger brother's decision, but no. He was glad, but he was not happy. He thought it was wrong. Robin was not supposed to be passed back to him. No, Damian was the only one who was worthy of the mantle, and Tim had no intention of using the mantle back.

Robin was _not_ supposed to be passed down to anyone anymore. No more crime fighting for children. They were not children's job to do. It was their jobs, the adults, the working ones, the authorities, and not theirs.

He took a deep breath, clearing the inside of his head from all the deep thoughts he had to deal. All he ever wanted was to change to casual clothes, and probably reading a book somewhere, or even working on a case that was left in the cave alone. He didn't really wanted to do anything else but work related and alone since he knew he would be distracted by the thoughts of his little brother again if he were to work with someone else.

But, he knew that not all of his wishes could come true… Not when he heard the sound of a motorcycle's running toward the cave when he came down to _supposedly_ start working on the case he was planning to work on. He saw Dick coming into the cave without his favorite black leather jacket on while the person behind him was drowning in the bigness of the jacket. Tim knew instantly who that person was since no one else could drown in Dick's black jacket but Damian and himself - only slightly.

The bike slowly stopped as they approached their final destination, and he was glad they hadn't noticed his presence in the cave yet. He wasn't trying to hide from them; he just didn't want to see them yet - he didn't want to see his little brother just yet. He knew that he would have to face the truth and eventually talk with the _babybat_ about everything. At the same time, he also wanted to look for a clue, a hint as of why their only youngest decided to stop everything.

He _wanted_ to know.

He _needed_ to know, yet he was _afraid._ Afraid to know, to learn about what was happening to his little brother, his rival, and someone whom he always had problem with and never understood before.

He drew a breath, a deep breath, to calm his noisy mind for the hundredth times before he had to face Damian - the ex- _Robin._ He continued walking down the stairs from where he was standing when he heard them coming in...and, probably to prepare himself to face them.

"Alfred should be ready with our lunch upstairs. Wanna head upstairs now?" Dick asked as he took the jacket from Damian's hand and placed it on the steering wheel of his bike alongside both helmets.

Tim couldn't see Damian, not when he was covered by Dick's back, and his small, thin posture didn't really help him to be discovered when all his brothers were around him. But, he could hear his voice, low and soft as he spoke to Dick back until some of the words were left unheard by him. If anything that Dick did earned him a smile, than everything Tim did earned him nothing but an insult here and there.

He sighed as he kept walking down the stairs until he reached the floor where both of them were standing. Damian was the first to notice him as he peeked, head out from the side of Dick's shoulder, to look at Tim. He could see Damian looking pale and tired from whatever they were doing outside while Dick handed him a small bag from his trunk.

"Hi," was the only thing that came out of Damian's mouth, as if there was nothing else he could have said or greeted him with.

Dick turned his back around as he found Tim standing just a few feet away from them in casual clothing. He gave a gentle smile to Tim as he walked out from between them to the stairs, trying to leave them alone as Dick knew there was an unsolved tension between the two of them.

"You had lunch already, Tim?" Dick asked, halfway to the stairs as he looked back to see Tim.

Tim stared at Dick for a few seconds before registering everything in and opening his mouth to say something.

"No," he answered quickly. "Haven't had lunch yet."

Dick nodded. "Going back to office later? Wanna join us for lunch?"

He glanced at Damian, who was busy tidying up his bag on Dick's bike, then turned to reply his eldest brother's question.

"Not going back to office; done for the day. I'll join you guys for lunch." Quick nod came from Dick as he began climbing the stairs to talk to their butler.

Tim's attention returned to Damian who began walking away from him, avoiding him for a reason he couldn't determine. All Tim could do to stop him was to call his name, loud and clear for him to hear before Damian could escape from him.

"TT," the famous tongue clicking came as he turned to see Tim. "What is it, Drake? Quit wasting my time."

Tim didn't care for the insult Damian always gave him, not now when he was suspicious of the bag Damian had in his hand. He knew Damian wasn't someone who liked to have extra baggage when he traveled or went out to somewhere within the city. Damian was a simple person if someone really knew him so well, and of course this knowledge was acquired from Dick telling him as he wasn't close enough with the youngest of the family to know this. And this made him more curious of the content of the bag and where Dick and Damian had been, or even before Dick was with Damian.

Tim took a breather, letting the oxygen flown into his brain as he knew the person in front of him would not, or would _never_ answered his questions directly unless he tricked him into it. He walked closer to Damian, closing the distance that separated them from each other, but he silently knew the younger man was clutching the bag tighter than before. Tighter as if he had to suffer consequences for something he had done. And, this was _their_ Damian _-_ the _current_ Damian Wayne - they all began to know again.

"Where did you go?" Tim asked and demanded a straightforward answer from the tiniest of the family.

He frowned as he didn't want to give any answers to the question. There was nothing in the world that Damian wanted but to escape Tim's detective mind now.

"-TT-", again the famous tongue clicking came out from him. "Is there a reason why I need to answer your question, Drake?"

Tim frowned at the response given by Damian but didn't say anything in return as he closed the distance even more than before. He closed the distance so much to the point Damian began to backup one step every other step Tim took. Tim only stopped until he came face to face with the shortest of the family - until Damian stopped taking a step back since he knew he couldn't escape the third and current Robin, not when behind him was a wall.

Tim boxed him by placing one hand on the wall while the other cautiously looking for a way to snatch the bag that was clutched tightly in the youngest hand. His state was intense, and he could feel the tension in the air surrounding both of them. But, Damian didn't say a word, not a single word of complain came out from his mouth - not like the usual.

He moved to the side, trying to break free from the cage Tim had set up for him but Tim moved along with him, still caging the shortest with his arm. They stayed like that for a few minutes in silence while Damian slowly untighten the grip he had on the bag. Tim opened his mouth again, asking "Where did you go?" to Damian for the second time in a row.

The frown on Damian's face didn't go away as he placed the bag on his right side still gripping on it, just not as tight as before. They were face-to-face with each other as if ready to eat each other out of anger and frustration of everything - of the secret Damian was trying to hide from them all. Tim was ready to shout - to _scream_ \- at him and told him to tell him everything, so he could help him.

So, Tim knew what to _give away_ to help Damian.

Tim wanted to help, to know, and to show Damian, his _goddamn_ little _fucking_ brother that his family cared. That they were there for him whenever he needed them; but without knowing anything, there was no way for them to help. There was no way for him to _help_ Damian.

The frown on Damian's face subsided as he sighed in front of Tim. His lips quivered as if he was about to say something wrong, his hands trembled slightly as he tried to hide it from the person who was staring at him so intently with those blue eyes. Damian opened his mouth saying, "Grayson and I went to Sepi's for a drink before coming back home." Damian shot a short glare at Tim before continuing with his words and let the frown to melt, "And, if you would like to release me now, I still owe Grayson a proper lunch that Pennyworth has prepared."

With that, Damian slipped away from Tim's sight with his bag, clutched tightly in his hand as he walked away from the cage Tim had set up to keep him in front of him. He didn't care if Tim believed him or not, didn't care of he bought the half truth and lies he was feeding Tim into but for now, all he wanted to do was to rest before having lunch with the eldest brother.

* * *

Damian didn't walked any further than his bed the moment he entered his room. He had no more energy to put up with whatever everyone was doing. All he needed was to rest before anything ever to come up again to him, just right after he had managed to run away from Tim, the detective of the family. He sighed as he turned to his side, facing the chimney he had inside of room. His jade eyes wandered before slowly closing it into a deep sleep. His steady breath was the most important of all especially when sleeping.

But _no,_ he couldn't fall asleep. He was tired, but he couldn't fall asleep. His mind wouldn't let him fall asleep even after he closed his eyes and let the darkness to eat him away into unconsciousness. His consciousness remained there and never left.

All the questions that Dick asked - _Tim_ asked - remained in his head. Why was he lying to them all? On the very top of that, why was he even here if he didn't want them to know? No one was supposed to ask him anything about his decisions. _No one_ was supposed to question his action. They should have rejoiced, especially Tim since he knew his reaction when Robin was taken away from him. They should have _rejoiced_ because the day had come when he, Damian Wayne, gave up the Robin mantle he had worked so hard and given up so much for.

His mother, grandfather, the Al Ghuls, the assassins - everything from his past, he had let go for Robin, for Batman, for his Father, Dick, and himself. For the better.

Damian laid on his back, took a breath before letting go a sigh as he just laid there in silence. The silence that was beginning to be too loud for him - for his mind. But, there was nothing he could do to shut them off. All the small whispers inside of his head, the whispers that was eating him off everything he believed to be worth of.

Everything he had achieved by giving up something he held dear in his life once. Damian knew Robin had taken his life - his normal growth. Robin had taken everything from its previous owners, but it had taken a lot more to him than to them.

Damian sighed as the frown on his face began to form and a headache was pounding his head like like a hammer to a nail. He didn't move, not until he heard his dog moved and stared at the door. Damian could hear the footsteps getting louder each steps of the way and were heading toward his room before it stopped right in front of the door.

"Damian?" He knew whose voice that was.

He sighed as he sat up on his bed until the person opened the door to see if someone was actually inside. Dick smiled as he saw Damian sitting on the bed with Titus standing still beside him like a bodyguard on duty.

"Ready to have lunch?" Dick asked with a smile on his face as he came closer to Damian who just looked at him and nodded his head.

"Yes, let's have our lunch," Damian answered as he stood up and Dick ruffled his hair gently. "And, maybe, you can continue your story too, Grayson."

Dick looked at him confused with what his littlest brother had just said. And, instantly, it clicked for him as Damian was talking about the police story that got ridiculous at the very end.

"Sure! Anything for you, lil' D," He replied him with a big smile on his face.

"I'll do just that after I call Tim to come up and eat with us, okay?" Damian nodded as Dick moved and kissed his brother's forehead as they both walked away into the dining hall for their lunch.


	4. Chapter 4: An Error

Chapter 4: An Error

It had been a while since Jason came out from his territory to patrol somewhere else. It was not something he normally did unless others need his help during their patrol. But, today was one of the days when he felt like he needed to get out from his comfort zone. It was never really a comfort zone to begin with since everyone's territories were filled with criminals to fight with. Yet, he had heard from the family that the _littlest_ of the family's territory had an increase in crime numbers after it had been abandoned for a while by its supposed _protector_. Not that he complained about helping to calm the crime rates since it would be a good frustration management to take it out on all these criminals. But, the fact that the littlest Wayne didn't tell anyone a thing about himself was what frustrated Jason the most.

If, at least, the _first_ Robin had known about Damian's reasoning for quitting Robin, Jason would have been fine. Yet, the fact that _Dickie_ didn't even know about it was what made him had the need to take the anger out to somewhere else. Often than not, he took it out on the face of the criminals with just enough power to take them out of their consciousness. Unless, it was more serious and life-threatening crimes. A few good punches and bruises wouldn't hurt the face of the criminals since they had done nothing good in the society.

He sighed into the night as he jumped off from a roof of one building to another. He only stopped to listen to someone's conversations in the dark alley of Gotham while keeping himself shadowed from the two guys.

Jason only reacted when the man pulled out a gun from his black jacket while threatening a man smaller than him. He jumped off the fire escape right into the man, knocking him off ground right into unconsciousness. He kicked the gun away before turning his head to the smaller guy in front of him who was looking at him with fear in his eyes.

"Heard you guys talking," Jason started as he tried to analyze the person in front of him. "What are you doing here, kid?"

He had done his analysis. Though it was vague, he could see the person in front of him was an eighteen years old teenager with five foot four tall and more or less than a hundred thirty five pounds for weight. The kid was smaller for his age, just like Damian. Damian could have been lighter than the kid standing in front of him.

"He was trying to rob me," the kid was shaking. "I- I owe him money but he wants to take more."

Jason was not reacting to any of his talks yet. He stood there and tried to listen to his surrounding in case there were more criminals around then, he looked at the kid. The short and light-weighted kid in front of him who had the same appearance like his littlest brother.

"What do you need the money for?" Jason asked as he sent a signal to GCPD to pick up the unconscious man on the ground and to alert Batman of his location.

"Ma's sick. Her medicine runs out and… dad's gone," the kid replied, calmer than before.

With that, Jason let out a sigh and reached his back pocket to get any money he had left from his dinner. He took out a hundred and fifty dollars, the only cash he had, before pressing it to the kid's hand

"Scoot, boy." Jason said as he watched the kid ran out from the dark alley. "Don't get caught again," the boy disappeared into the crowd.

Jason looked at the guy on the ground as he could hear the police siren went off and got closer to the alley he was in. He noted to himself to visit the manor after he was done patrolling. Not only to visit the old mansion, Alfred, and the old Bat, but maybe he could see Damian before his day job called him.

 _Yeah, that would be perfect_ , Jason thought and added an extra note for himself to stop at the grocery store to get something to bring to the littlest and lightest kid in the whole _goddamn_ world - _their_ Damian Wayne.

* * *

It was past one in the morning when he arrived in the cave that was still so lively despite the timing of his arrival. The lights were on and so did someone who was typing something onto the computer. He saw Bruce behind the big computer, working on something as he turned around to see the person who had just announced his arrival to the _'home'_. Jason didn't say anything as Bruce looked at him and the brown paper bag he had on his hand. Jason knew - he knew there was something to talk about, yet it was like a _taboo_. A taboo that no one ever wanted to talk about unless they wanted to get into trouble with the old bat or get emotional with the eldest Robin.

Jason sighed quietly as he walked closer to where Bruce was sitting to see the data that were analyzed by the computer. No one said a thing as both of them were just looking at the big screen as if watching everything evolved into something completely different. Bruce didn't say a thing when Jason finally moved away from the big screens; he only glanced at the brown paper bag before turning his attention to something completely different.

"Have you talked to Damian lately?" The question just hung in the air after Jason opened his mouth.

Bruce couldn't face him. _No_ , perhaps that was the wrong word to use. Bruce couldn't bear to look at his biological son in the eyes and knowing that his son - Damian - had something to hide from him. That Damian, the son he loved, was old enough to actually hide something from his own _father_ and acted like nothing ever happened. These were the reasons why he couldn't even talk to his own son. Though he had secretly visited his son during his sleep, he knew it was different than actually talking to him as father and son.

Jason saw the look in Bruce's face. The apologetic look of a father for not doing what he was supposed to do - an apologetic look of _not_ knowing what to do. He didn't pressed him further. No, Jason wasn't that heartless to begin with and even if he wanted to do it, he would have done it a lot earlier than just stretching the long waited silence of doom.

"Dickie and Timmy pressed him into talking but they failed," Jason paused and looked at the expression Bruce made before continuing again. "Damian cried when Dick kept asking him. Told Dickie that he would tell him when the time is right or he's ready."

"But, he's not ready to tell us anything yet." Bruce firmly said like he was declaring the truth everyone needed to know.

Jason quietly nodded his head as he walked back toward Bruce's direction. He dug something from the brown bag he had been holding on before handing it to the old man. Bruce was surprised when Jason had actually tried to make an effort for Damian; but for him to actually support Bruce to rekindle the strain relationship he had with Damian, it was something uncalled for.

"He enjoyed the first novel of this trilogy," Jason explained. "Thought he might enjoy the second and third novels as well."

Bruce just looked at the novels on his hand. Two novels from the modern and well-known suspense fiction writer of Stephen King. _Praise for Mr. Mercedes_ , he read and continued, _and Finder's Keeper_ , on the back of _End of Watch_ \- the newest book.

Bruce smiled as he noticed the word 'Detective' written on the back of the novel. He didn't know that Damian was reading the first book of the trilogy, but he surely loved suspense and many different kind of genres.

"Thank you, son." His voice was low, grateful, if that didn't convince anyone, then his smile would. "I'll give this to him tomorrow, maybe it will open him up."

"No worries, old man," Jason replied. "I'm staying for the night. Don't stay up too late, B."

With that Jason walked away from the cave to the stairs that led toward the manor. He made a mental note of dropping some perishable stuffs in the kitchen for Alfred to make one of his infamous delicious pancakes and cupcakes. It was a longshot but maybe, just maybe, it would brighten up the little kid's face from the tension the whole family seemed to give him.

Jason laughed at himself for a reason - a reason that he would never thought he could give. He cared about the _kid_. He actually gave a fuss about _him_ suddenly withdrawing himself from the role he was supposed to play as. Maybe Jason was actually surprised that he cared about something and someone.

Regardless of that, all he wanted was for the kid to be like he was before. Just Damian Wayne being the Damian Wayne he had always been.

* * *

He had finally fallen asleep. It was already dawn when he did, and he was stressing to himself just how much a sleep could make a difference for him. The difficulty of falling asleep never bothered him. It never did until he had seen exhaustion washing his little brother away like the sand swept away by the ocean. The moment exhaustion came to his littlest brother, he couldn't get away from it and just flown with it as if he never had the intention of ever fighting it at all.

Yet, Tim knew Damian was never the one to actually get exhausted easily. He was never the one to just rest right away when he was tired, unless he was really exhausted to the bone. Now, Damian took a lot of rest time for a reason no one could comprehend. Tim saw him all around the house just for resting. Many times he found Damian sleeping it off inside his room with his giant dog and loyal cat accompanying him. However, there were times when he found him lying on the ground of the most unused library of the manor. He was just lying on the floor as if he had fainted and hadn't woken up from it.

Titus and Alfred were always there like a loyal and quiet companions they were. The giant dog always curled around him, resting its head on the left side of his master's chest as if checking his master's heartbeat while Damian slept off his exhaustion. Alfred the cat would be there too. Sometimes, he would call out to anyone in the house and leading them to where his master's sleeping. Often times, Tim was the one who always found him and the cat always walked ahead of him to direct him to where their boy was sleeping. He didn't really do anything about Damian other than covering him with blanket after picking him up from the carpeted-floor to his bedroom. He was even surprised that Damian didn't wake up from the noises he, Titus, and Alfred's made.

It never bothered him that Damian slept really easily, but it bothered him of how _easily_ exhausted Damian was.

Tim grunted by the moment he woke up from his not-so-night sleep. He stretched his arms and looked at the mess his bedroom had become as he passed out by working himself through-and-through. Papers were scattered all around his bed onto the floor along with two other files that were still intact on the bedside table. Tim sighed; looking at all the mess his bed had become before he scrambled through the bed to get out from the mess he made. _Alfred would be furious_ , he knew and took off the shirt and pants he wore before throwing it to the pile of laundry inside the bathroom.

He stumbled his way into the tub to take a shower, turned on the water and let the water washed away the sleepiness that was still in his brain. The cold water felt good on his skin; it awaken him from the tiredness he had felt from working hard last night. Tim breathed in and out slowly, calming his mind then he heard someone knocking on the door of his bedroom. He also heard his name was called by an older and raspy voice of the butler of the house.

"Master Timothy?"

"Be out in a minute, Alfred." Tim said as he quickly washed off. He knew Alfred would clean his messy bedroom and at least, turning it into a proper room for humans to stay in.

Tim dried himself off as he walked into the walk-in-closet to get his clothes. A simple white shirt and black short pants were what he chose as he was not going to the office for any meetings or work. He threw the towel to the pile of laundry. Alfred was going to take from his bathroom, and it was probably laundry day for Alfred, the only reason the butler waited until Tim finished his shower.

"Sorry for the mess, Alfred," Tim walked out from the closet, turned the knob of his bathroom door to unlock it. "I'll clean it up as soon as possible." The butler smiled at the statement as he went inside to take the laundry bag off from the room.

"I'm sure you will clean it up, Master Tim."

Tim smiled, headed toward the bed to take some of the pile and place it on the table. It was quiet. No one really talked then, they focused on cleaning up the papers that were scattered everywhere. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but there was a tension in the silence that Tim dislike.

"What are we having for lunch, Alfred?" Tim asked, hands filled with piles of paper that were ready to be transported to the cave. "I'm starving."

The older man smiled back as he handed the two unopened files back to Tim's hands.

"Master Jason made blueberries pancakes for breakfast, the leftovers are in the fridge if you would like some," Alfred said, adding to Tim's surprised since Jason had rarely came back to the manor. "I have made almond salad and beef lasagna for lunch. Master Jason has also prepared vanilla pudding and ice cream for everyone."

Tim nodded at the explanation. He wondered the reason for Jason's visit but never asked Alfred for it.

He figured he didn't need an explanation. Why bothered to ask one now?

"I will head down now, Master Tim. Lunch should be ready in a few minutes."

"Damian?"

Alfred turned, looked at him from the door, and smiled. His hands were occupied with Tim's laundry bag and some files ready to be moved to the cave.

"Master Damian should be in his room," Alfred paused; taking the clothes on the side chair. "Master Jason was in there for a while before Master Dick came and accompanied him until just now."

He nodded in acknowledgment. Alfred was almost out the door.

"He should be alone right now."

The door was shut tight as the older man went on his chores of the day. Tim wondered if Alfred knew anything but decided to save it for later.

Now, he had a new destination to go to.

* * *

He was here, in front of Damian's room. Tim knew Damian was should be awake now since he was already bothered by their older brothers. He knocked and heard the noises of a dog tag along with Titus' barking at the door as if allowing whoever in front of the door to come in. Yet, the barking was immediately and gently hushed by the person inside the room.

He opened the door; welcomed himself until he saw Damian lying on his bed with his eyes closed.

"Damian?"

No answer.

"Damian," he called again. "Lunch is ready, and Alfred wants you to go down."

Still, silence filled the room. Only the quiet jiggle of dog's tag filled the room along with a slow meow from the cat.

Tim entered the room with Titus and Alfred the cat welcoming him. The big dog walked closer to him, wagged his tail in excitement of someone finally visiting their master again after a short period of quietness. He petted the great dane's head and closed the door.

"Damian."

Damian didn't open his eyes, but his breathing was steady.

"Hey," Tim shook the body; Damian's was strangely cold for the summer heat. "Lunch is ready. Are you going down to eat?"

Titus whined, catching Tim's attention, as the big dog walked to Damian's bedside, kept his head low, and sniffed the carpet like something fell onto the carpet and couldn't be retrieved without human's help.

Tim walked toward the dog to find papers scattered on the floor and underneath the bed along with its envelope. They were still intact; the papers weren't torn apart, probably just flew from the bedside table. He picked it up, all five pages and organized it accordingly; he also grabbed the envelope and flipped it to see the sender of the mail. _Gotham City Hospital_ was written on the front of the envelope including its address and logo. He didn't suspect a thing, not until he saw Damian's name on the top of the page including all other general informations such as age, address, and others.

Tim turned to check on Damian before reading the paper. The babybat was still asleep, breathing steady, and eyes shut tight. He knew this was disrespectful of him, to read something that wasn't his to begin with and to know a disclosed information without its owner knowing. However, if this could explain the sudden change in Damian's behavior and withdrawal from their vigilante life, then it would be worth it.

It _had_ to be worth it.

The detective read through it, carefully one-by-one as it revealed information about Damian's blood test in many different detailed ways. Most of them were normal, some were lower than average, yet there were some higher at least by forty to fifty percent. Tim frowned; unable to explain the reason for such a detailed blood test to be performed. He believed that Damian could have asked Alfred to do the blood test, but the result came from an actual laboratory in the hospital.

 _Not_ from Alfred.

Titus barked; his innocent eyes looking at Tim as the loyal companion turned to his master's sleeping body and whines. His paws and head were resting on the bed, probably worried for his master hadn't woken up from the long and too early morning nap.

"Shush…" Tim gently quiet the big dog from making anymore noises while his hands slowly strokes the strong head.

He slowed himself down, unwilling to make any judgments, statements, or predictions with the lack of evidence. Yet, he was trying hard to connect the two dots: Damian's resignation and the blood test. Maybe, just _maybe_ a little bit too hard.

Tim exhaled before taking in the oxygen to fill his brain with a new dose of patience. The paper was now folded and tucked away in his pocket; he had to discuss this with a certain someone before he could take any further actions.

"Will you keep this a secret, Titus?" The dog turned and gave a low whine, his right paw on Tim's lap.

Damian didn't show any sign of waking up or even noticing that someone was in his room.

"Don't tell Damian that I'm taking this for a while, okay?" He petted the dog's head, and Titus wagged his tail again.

Tim stood from the floor, walked toward the door, and left Damian with his companions. He only turned to see Titus sitting on the floor, looking at him, and Alfred the cat curling up on Damian's right side gently while flopping its tail on his master's chest.

Damian was still asleep, and Tim noted to himself that this should be brought to Alfred's attention or Bruce. Tim was never the one to see Damian napping this early in the morning, but he knew someone should, at least, wake him up for lunch.

Tim sighed; he left the room, quietly closed the door with hope that he could talk to Damian about what he had found. But, he knew it would be impossible. There was no way he could talk to Damian about it personally without the whole family figuring it out. After all, their family was notorious for having zero privacy; sometimes for the good of the family.

* * *

Titus barked repeatedly at the door while jumping at the doorknob to open the door by himself. It was loud, real loud that it stirred Damian awake from the short nap he was having. He grunted, slightly annoyed that his nap was disturbed by a loud noise that he didn't know how long it had been. The great dane fell silent once the door was opened and a head popped in to see the inside of the room.

"Is everything alright, Master Damian? I heard Titus barking miles from the hallway."

His eyes were closed but the moment he knew it was Alfred, the tension on his shoulders were gone. He was relieved because he could drop his defense and act in front of the old butler since Alfred was the only one who knew and helped Damian covering everything from his family. The butler disagreed with the idea, but Damian had promised that he would tell everything after he figured out what happened to his own body. So far, Alfred was the most up-to-date with everything about him.

"You may come in, Alfred." Damian said as he sat down on the bed with his back covering the door. "Everything is fine; Titus' energy is a little higher in the afternoon."

"Well then," Alfred closed the door as he stepped inside with a cup of tea in his hand. "I suggest you take him for a walk later in the afternoon. Today's temperature is cooler than other days, and the backyard has a stunning view of the sunset."

Damian smiled; his face was sore but he still smiled though Alfred couldn't see it.

"Thank you for the information, Alfred," he heard Alfred placing a cup carefully on his study table. "I will make sure Titus and Alfred get the walk and exercise they need."

There was always something calming and peaceful when talking to Alfred, and Damian definitely felt it now that he had gone closer with the much older man of the house. He still respected him, of course. But, Alfred was not more than a grandpa for him than to anyone else. His wisdom and care for the family were endless and could not be replaced for anything else. Damian definitely respect and love him for that.

"Well, the lunch is ready, Master Damian." The sound of Alfred's shoes were growing closer to his side. "Would you like me to bring it here, or would you rather eat with the family? It's a full house today. Miss Stephanie, Cassandra, and Miss Barbara are joining us as well."

He opened his eyes. _No_ , scratched that, Damian was _trying_ to open his eyes when he realized that he failed.

His eyes _weren't opening_.

 _No_ , panicked overcame him.

"Al… Alfred…" Something was wrong, and he didn't know how to fix it. He was shaking, hands covering his eyes and fingers trying to force his eyelids open. "I… I can't open my eyes."

 _No, no, no, no, no…_ were the only thing he could scream inside of his mind.

He was fucked. There was no way of going out from the room with this.

"What do you mean, Master Damian?" Alfred knelt on the ground, hands covering Damian's hands, and gently remove it from the eyes he was hiding it under. His hands gently brushed over the eyelids to take a look at them before doing anything with it.

"Please, _please_ , calm down. You will be fine, sir." Reassurance, he knew he needed it, especially in times like this. "I will take a look at it. Let me know if it hurts, alright?"

Damian could only nod; his hands were shaking because this had never happened before. It was never this bad, but again he never knew which were the beginning, the bad, the worse, and the end of this changes. Since it happened randomly and truly changed his life, it was never the same anymore. After a couple need of saving from his family in the field and on certain missions, he knew he needed to drop the mantle.

He knew he needed to give up _Robin_.

Then, everything else related to it.

He was scared to do it at first, but it had to be done. And, he had done it with any _possible_ reasons he could possibly come up with. When he realized there were none at all, he gave up on ever finding one and just came out to the family with it. He had noted to himself to apologize to Tim for creating such misunderstanding; it was probably for the best, for both him and Tim. Since Tim was forcefully removed from Robin by Dick, their relationship had been about nothing but hatred. By doing this, maybe, _just maybe_ , Damian was trying to mend their relationship back.

It was ages ago, but he knew how painful it must had been for Tim. To be forcefully removed, to be thrown aside - just like a _rejection_.

Alfred continued to message Damian's eyelids tenderly while applying little pressure to relax the muscle underneath. Damian flinched and gasped a couple times from the pain it brought to him, regardless he didn't stop Alfred from doing his job.

"How is it now?" Alfred asked; his hands withdrew from Damian's face, allowing Damian to try again. "Are you able to open your eyes, sir?"

He tried again, and no longer panicking since it could also be another reason for his eyes not opening. He took a deep breath and tried for the third times.

Nope, still none.

"No, I tried Alfred _but I can't_ ," he was pleading. He knew he needed help. "What do I do? What do I _do?_ "

There was desperation in his voice. He was scared; yet when those calming hands covered his, he quiet down all the voices screaming inside of his head.

"They will be looking for me if I don't join lunch. They will find me like this, Alfred." The grab on Alfred's hands were tighter; his young master, his own _grandson_ , was afraid of anyone finding his condition. "I can't allow them to see me like this, _shouldn't_ see me in such condition."

"Shhh…" Alfred's hands were not holding his anymore, instead they were on the youngest Wayne's shoulders to straighten him before pulling those chin up to see his face. It was hard to keep himself composed when looking at the child in front of him being so vulnerable, afraid, and scared of his own family knowing his unknown condition. He knew _his_ grandson wanted to have control over everything he could possibly had, especially his body. But, in times like this when his conditions just hit him without a warning, it became harder to cover it from the family.

It became harder because he wanted to break it - Alfred, the one who promised to cover for his grandson, wanted to break their _promise_. He was getting too old for secrets, yet Damian trusted him for a reason that he would like to believe was wrong. His grandson believed that his family would not understand his condition, would treat him differently, and this was the result: Damian isolating himself from everyone else.

Alfred breathed in and out as he made Damian turned to face him though he couldn't see him.

"Would you like me to drive you to the hospital? You will need to call the doctor to inform him about this beforehand."

Alfred asked and continued; his hands were steady though Damian's hands shivered slightly.

Damian could only nod with his hands holding Alfred's wrists like a lifeline. The grandpa smiled in returned while hiding a little bit of sadness in the back of his eyes. He knew not to cry or shed tears in times like this.

"I doubt he could see me; however, if I tell him about my condition, maybe he would." Damian paused as if considering another viable option when his plan should fail.

"Are you considering something, else, Master Damian?"

Damian's shoulders were tensed again, and he bet Alfred could feel it too. And, _God_ … Damian looked like a child shivering because of everything that was happening.

"I… was considering doctor Thompkins, shall everything else fail." Another paused as he released his hands from Alfred's wrists. "She should know a thing or two though I hate going to her like this."

The glass clattered against the window, allowing them to return back to the reality of everything. He released his grip from the young master's shoulders as it relaxed again.

"Alright, I shall prepare the car and help you get ready," Alfred was already standing up and ready to do anything he needed for his grandson. "As for the family, I will tell what they need to know about your absence. Though, I believe they will want to have some times with you after everything."

Another nod but this time, Titus's head was on Damian's lap while Alfred the cat purred beside his right. They were there the moment they saw the butler stood up to do something else. They were there because they could feel their master's remorse and pain, yet there were nothing they could do but to comfort him according to their ways.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I apologize for including you into this... _mess_ , Alfred. But, I thank you for helping me. Keeping this safe from the family. _Thank you_."

His heart stopped beating and just swelled with love and affection for the boy in front of him. He was crying; there were tears flowing from his eyes but he silently wiped it away because he knew his grandson would worry. And, worry was the last thing he wanted Damian to feel right now, especially worrying about him.

He wrapped his hands around Damian and pulled him in for a hug. The hug only tighten when Alfred felt the shivers coming from the boy. He kissed his grandson's forehead and hair before muttering words of reassurances and promises.

"You will be fine, my boy. You will be _fine_." He felt Damian turned to hide his face in his shoulder. "I'll inform the family once you are in the car and ready to go, does that sound good?"

Damian sobbed, and Alfred's heart was heartbreaking because the urges of breaking the promises were there again. Yet, he quiet those urges down until they became silence.

"Yes, I'm sorry for crying. Would you help me get ready?" The younger man wiped his tears away. Alfred could hear Titus whining beside him as if feeling his master's pain. "It's hard to get ready when I can't see anything in front of me."

Alfred smiled as he took his handkerchief to wipe the small droplets of tears on his face.

"Do not apologize for showing emotions, Master Damian. And, I will help you get ready, and going down the stairs after I have prepared the car in front."

Damian smiled before muttering the last,

" _Thank you, grandfather._ "


	5. Chapter 5: Deluded Depths

Chapter 5: Deluded Depths

The sun had set when Tim arrived at his apartment with a bunch of files and documents on his hands. He kicked the door open, revealing the dark apartment as it closed itself with a gentle thud. The door was locked, and Tim was home.

He dropped everything on the kitchen's counter and unload other things else he had gotten from the manor. Sighs escaped his mouth as he unloaded the last bag off to the shelf. All easy to cook dry and canned ingredients were off to the shelf while the rest were going to the fridge. Alfred's shopping bags were sitting silently near the fridge, ready for all the food to be stored in its proper place. Other bags were on the dining table, neat, untouched, and unopened as it had been more than a week since he came back here.

Finished placing all food items to where they belonged, Tim stopped doing everything. He walked and hit the side of his elbows against the concrete wall before landing itself against the dining table. And, he just stayed there, on the cold wooden floor with his head leaning on the leg of the white table. The three weeks old paperwork was sitting on the dining table and the bags from his short travels.

He knew he needed to take care of them all, instead he only stared at the top of document's piles - at Damian's files.

Everything was in the piles. The cases, company works, and Damian's blood test was color coded, but still in the piles. Tim had exhausted all the resources he could find on the cave's computer but there was nothing. Damian's symptoms were too general - too normal. It could simply overlook as normal tiredness or other normal diseases. The blood test didn't help either since he couldn't find anything relevant. Not when it was just by himself.

He took a deep breath as he reached for his phone in his pocket. Emails, texts, and some miscall filled his notification, but those weren't what he was looking for. He was looking for Alfred's number as both he and Damian were absent for all afternoon. Tim lingered there, the number was found and all he needed to do was to press call. He had prepared a long list of conversations scenarios inside of his head. Just a way to be subtle about his interrogation.

Yet, he was still hesitant. After all, Alfred had convinced them that he'd be with Damian all day during their visit to the hospital. There was nothing he could counter the old butler with, except a nodding yes.

He sighed and stared at the name and number on his phone again. It took him a minute but he made up his mind and decided to press the screen of his phone. The number dialed; Tim could hear the impatient and angry tone of it trying to connect to the receiver. He could hear it all through the earphone connected to the Bluetooth of his phone.

Tim waited. His fingers playing with the case of the phone while occasionally looking the screen gazing at the rest of his apartment and outside of the window before returning to the screen. Waiting for the old butler and grandpa to pick up his phone. His head dropped when he heard the familiar voice, the aged and clear voice.

"Master Tim?"

He sighed and waited. Gathered all his remaining strength to say what he had wanted to say.

"Yes, Alfred." It was a relief, a small sense of relief.

"Is everything alright, sir?" Another sigh escaped as he gathered himself.

Yes was the answer he wanted to give. But, in reality, he could not give it.

"Yeah, everything's fine," a lie but he had to. "Where are you guys right now?"

It was vague. The sound of people talking, footsteps, and white noises that he couldn't guess. He waited while hearing the small and quiet conversation on the other side of the phone. The detective knew it was Damian's voice; the soft, quiet, and almost inaudible for Tim to hear. It was Damian talking to Alfred, and the oldest man replying all the questions asked.

"We are still in the hospital, sir," the old confident voice said. "There are some complications, and Master Damian insisted on waiting for his friend."

Tim nod despite knowing the old butler couldn't see him but did it out of habit. It was hard to spot any lies spoken through the old butler's mouth, and Tim knew that Alfred would never lie to any of them unless necessary. He didn't want to push it. He figured how tiring it must have been for Alfred to deal with them on top of everything else he must do.

The Red Robin decided to let him off. Suspicions were still present, but he couldn't prove any truth just based on their conversation. Now, he knew that he needed to visit the manor again to gain all the information.

Upon realizing that, he sighed. The tensed shoulder dropped as he picked up himself and walked toward the grey couch in his living room. Tim just realized how crazy of a ride all this made him.

"Is everything okay, sir? Do you need us to come back home right now?" It was sincere and worrisome. The only two words able to describe the voice his old grandpa used.

Tim shook his head, clearing everything that had clogged his brain and letting it empty itself. In other words, he was exhausted beyond belief and his thought-process just stopped altogether.

"Everything's okay. Dick was getting worried since you and Damian were gone from the afternoon." It was true but Dick didn't say anything to him. The oldest brother never wanted them all to be worried but he was just as bad at covering it too.

"We'll be home soon, master Tim. Hopefully before dinner starts."

Tim nodded again. What a bad habit he had.

"Jason wanted to spend time with Damian. He was walking the dog when I left home."

Tim heard his breath through the phone, a long and deep breath. It was apologetic, maybe.

"I will let him know once we are back home," the man replied. "I'd love to talk more, Master Tim. But, we have to go now."

The detective closed his eyes as he said the final goodbye before the call was cut off. He sighed and turned off his phone away from any distractions.

Tim wished that all of these was just a nightmare he could wake up before it was too late for everything.

* * *

It was a quarter to five in the evening when Alfred finally called the house. After being away from home for the whole afternoon, he thought it'd be wise to just call and inform someone that they were coming home. But, the conversation he had was mundane, much similar to a report than anything else he could think of. Yet the worries and fear were present when the phone was picked up by one of the families in the house. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach, knowing full well he had to act like everything was normal while it wasn't.

He dropped the thoughts before taking a deep breath while keeping his eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheels. The whole ordeal with Doctor Leslie Thompkins was exhausting. And, he could see it on his youngest grandson sleeping on the front passenger seat.

Alfred took a breath as he sped off the highway, passing other cars that were trying to get to their destination as well. It was stressful to see his grandson's struggles and keeping it secret made it even more so. Yet he was proud of their little Damian, despite all the things they had to cover the family. He was proud that Damian stayed strong and opened up to him. He was proud that Damian managed to get the help he needed.

Above all of that, he was proud that Damian got out from the vigilante business, a business that he never wanted anyone - including Bruce - to enter in the first place.

But, he also felt guilty for being proud of his grandson's for throwing that life away. All he could do was to help Damian with everything he could to keep him out of that dangerous game, the game of life and death.

The old butler smiled when he saw Damian hugging his bag as he slept. The youngest master didn't even budge when the car slowly stopped in front of the manor, clearly reaching their destination without any problems. Or that was what he thought until he saw a big and tall black shadow looking at their car, before stepping to the sideways to let the car stopped in front of the entrance door.

The car stopped, and it was the second son who had been waiting for their return. Jason had stepped outside the manor with his thicker leather jacket to battle the windy Gotham's summer late afternoon. Alfred's old eyes could see the weariness in his eyes as they had been gone for almost half of the day. Yet, he put up a smile.

Happy to know that his youngest and the stubbornest grandson was actually missed and worried for.

Grateful to know there was his family who didn't want to let Damian be alone with his own problems.

Jason leaned forward, exposing his face to the older man. His white streak brushed off his face as it showed the weary green eyes, yet steeled face. Alfred unlocked the door and turned to him with a nod. He smiled and carefully opened the car door, knowing Damian was asleep inside and didn't want him to fall to the ground when he opened the door.

The older brother was careful, and it made Alfred smiled as he waited for Jason to say something. He was all ears for questions and concerns.

"Did he just fall asleep?"

"Yes, a long day in the hospital surely made him very tired."

A smile and gentle voice were enough to make Jason believed the old man's words. He nodded in recognition of the logic but the question remained...

"Who is this friend of Damian that we don't know of?"

The question was valid since no one knew who the friend was. Yet, knowing that there was never a friend in the hospital other than Damian himself was Alfred's only secret. His only secret with the littlest and youngest baby of the Wayne.

Alfred smiled as he saw Jason's hands started to envelop Damian closer to him. He took a breath before saying his reply that he knew would disappoint his older grandson.

"It is wiser to ask that to the person himself, isn't it Master Jason?"

Another silence was given. Still, no answers or clues.

The old butler smiled as he saw the little Damian in Jason's embrace though worries still painted the older brother's face. There wasn't anything he could do, the promise was a promise until he couldn't do it anymore. Until both Alfred and Damian couldn't handle the promise and the condition anymore.

Yet, Alfred smiled - enjoying the silent moment of the big brother doing what he was supposed to be doing.

"Master Jason, would you please bring Master Damian back to his room?" He asked as they both locked eyes for a second. "I shall park the car and be thereafter."

Jason nodded and off on his way. It wasn't a lie that Damian was tired from the long process of check up in the hospital. The worries and anxieties also added to the existing stress his master had suffered. But, to cover up the fact that he was suffering - thinking that he had burdened his family enough with his own existence - it was unbearable even for Alfred to handle. Yet, there was nothing but silence and tension that filled the entire atmosphere of the house, especially around his youngest master.

He sighed as he saw Jason closing the main entrance door gently. Only when the door was fully closed, the butler proceeded on its way to park the car.

The way to the room was a simple and straightforward walk but the action of carrying and knowing that the person he was carrying had something to hide from him was a totally different matter. Jason also noticed that Damian had lost a lot of weight lately as it was easy to pick him up and carry him around.

He encountered no one while walking to the room, only the big and protective dog of Titus and Alfred the cat. Titus could smell his master from miles away since he ran toward them, barking excitedly before being shushed by Jason gently. The Great Dane could only look at his master and quietly walked with Jason back to the room. Titus even opened the door by putting his head and pushing the knob down to open the closed door. That earned Jason a smile because Damian probably didn't train his pets that but they learned regardless.

The room was dark with the sunlight trying to push past the heavy curtain. Jason didn't dare to turn the light on because it'd wake the person he was carrying. He also didn't want to be kicked by the former assassin since it would hurt a lot and left him, probably, paralyzed for a few good minutes. The Red Hood was actually surprised that Damian hadn't woken up from being carried too. He was shocked - surprised was an understatement.

He didn't really know what to do besides placing Damian on the bed. But, when the white cat began to meow repeatedly, Jason knew Alfred the cat wanted something from him - either attention or hair brushes. He took a breath and gently putting the baby of the house down. He bent over, placing the head onto the pillow and the body onto the bed. Jason's movement was slow and steady; it was tender in its own way. He covered the sleeping boy with the blanket, not questioning anything else as the white cat had become increasingly demanding with its meows. Jason only walked there shortly after he had finished what he needed to do.

"Hey there, buddy," he greeted the cat and ran his hand through the soft hair. "What's going on?"

Alfred purred under the touch before circling around Jason's legs. He didn't know how Damian could keep all his animals so obedient and loyal to him while satisfying their need of attentions. It was always a mystery but he knew the pets also played parts in saving him and the family.

The black and white cat meowed, knocked him off from his dream state back to reality he had to face. Jason sighed as he stood up from the crouching position. The cat had moved itself closer to Damian as he jumped up to bed and snuggled closer to his master's head. Alfred the cat had occupied the empty space of the bed.

Jason didn't smile for this. He only let out a quick smirk before opening the door and leaving the room. Though he didn't get anything accomplished for the day, he hoped to actually learn something from the suspicious friend that Damian kept bringing up.

* * *

Someone was pacing in the kitchen, going in and out from the kitchen to the dining space in a circle as he desperately tried to remember all the missing recipe steps from his head. Jason was going to make something comforting and hearty, yet enough to not upset a sensitive stomach. It wasn't for him, particularly, but for Damian. Since he noticed the small trails of tears on the little Robin's cheeks to tell that he had exhausted himself to sleep just to worry about this "mystery" friend.

He sighed; couldn't help but worry for the littlest twerp. All the efforts the family made to slowly open Damian up was in vain because the person himself wasn't ready. They knew that it would take more than just words to gain their little brother's trust. But, they never realized how hard it was doing it individually. Maybe it was time to come up with a plan with others together.

The clattering sounds of pots and pans awoke him from the dream. The butler of the house was already working behind the kitchen counter, preparing ingredients for the dinner, and filling the pots with water. Jason stood there in silence before approaching the older man while looking at everything Alfred had pulled out from the fridge.

"What's for dinner?"

Jason asked as he opened the fridge to take the leftover pudding. There were only three puddings left after lunch, but now there were only two. It was probably Tim, he guessed as he placed a spoonful of pudding to his mouth.

"A hearty and comforting beef stew, Master Jason," the old and raspy voice replied. "It will take awhile before it is ready."

"Do you think he will eat it?" Jason asked as he swirled the remaining pudding. "No offense there, but I think the little twerp need something like chicken soup."

Alfred stopped what he was doing and turned to see Jason. The looked at each other for a second before the older man continued preparing the stew and chopping the meat. No one said anything but Jason knew that Alfred was no longer making what he planned on making.

The meat was set aside after a couple more choppings. Jason moved away from blocking the fridge.

"Then, would you like to help me make the chicken soup, Master Jason?" The meat was placed and sealed in a clean container, probably for tomorrow's meal.

The man only nodded as Alfred began to assess him in all the preparation. Jason handled the vegetables while Alfred handled the chicken. All the kitchen wares from the previous recipes were cleaned and dried off before they began cutting and chopping all the ingredients.

"Is something wrong with Master Damian?"

The chicken was chopped.

Legs off the body.

"The kid's upset. Thought something easier to eat will comfort him."

Jason cut the top and bottom of the carrot before peeling the skin with a peeler.

"Spending time in the hospital is never good for anyone's emotional health," another chopped wings.

Jason only nodded. No words came out of his mouth as he cut the carrot and some other vegetables. The other man was chopping the chicken breast along with its bones. He glanced to see Alfred's expression before returning his attention to the celery in his hand.

"Was everything alright with the kid?" Jason asked and it got the butler's attention. "Had a feeling it's not about the 'friend'."

He chopped the celery into smaller pieces, almost the same thickness, and length of the carrot.

"If anything, at least tell me what happens to the kid in the hospital." The last celery chopped and pushed aside. "He passed out cold from exhaustion with dried up tears on his cheeks. That already says a lot."

The paused in the conversation was a growing tension. Jason didn't necessarily demand an answer for anything. He only demanded to know Damian's secret condition. Yet, it was still hard for the most trustworthy butler to say anything about it.

Alfred was not authorized to say anything about his youngest and littlest master. Yet, as a grandfather, he wanted to spill everything so his grandson could get all the best care his family could've given him now. It tore his heart to see the smallest of them all suffered alone.

There wasn't much he could say to the curious Jason. And, he had weight his decision fairly. There weren't many options, to begin with since he could either lie or tell Jason the truth.

Alfred had opted for one of them.


End file.
